By Tanya Lawrence | The Christian Business
How do I overcome fear in my business?
Pray without ceasing.
Not because God needs you to keep reminding Him about your business. He doesn't.
You pray without ceasing because fear repeats itself, so you have to keep repeating the truth. Every time the fear comes back, you go back to God. You remind yourself who He is, what He has said, and that He is with you.
And here's what I've found. When you're busy praying and having faith, you don't have time for fear.
I was reading Joshua 1, and something stood out to me.
God Told Joshua to Be Strong and Courageous Three Times in One Conversation
Moses had just died. Joshua was now the one who had to lead Israel across the Jordan River and into the land God had promised them. Moses was the leader everyone knew. Now it was Joshua's turn.
In the first nine verses of Joshua 1, God talks to Joshua.
He tells him where to go.
He tells him what He is giving them.
He promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5, NIV).
And in that one conversation, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three times.
First:
"Be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:6, NIV)
God keeps talking. Then:
"Be strong and very courageous." (Joshua 1:7, NIV)
Notice the word very this time.
Then, just two verses later:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)
When I read, "Have I not commanded you?" I almost hear:
Joshua, haven't I already told you?
And I thought, that's me.
Maybe that's you too.
Joshua Had Already Heard This Before
Here's something I didn't notice at first. Joshua 1 wasn't the first time Joshua heard these words.
In Deuteronomy 31, before Moses died, Moses told all of Israel, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you" (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV).
Then Moses called Joshua up in front of everyone and said it to him directly: "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land" (Deuteronomy 31:7, NIV).
Then God Himself said it to Joshua: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you" (Deuteronomy 31:23, NIV).
Then God said it three more times in Joshua 1.
And at the end of Joshua 1, after Joshua gives the people their instructions, even the people tell him: "Only be strong and courageous!" (Joshua 1:18, NIV).
Count them up. Joshua was told to be strong and courageous at least six times.
Now think about who this was.
About forty years earlier, Joshua was one of the twelve men Moses sent to explore the Promised Land. Ten of them came back afraid. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who told the people, "Do not be afraid of the people of the land" (Numbers 14:9, NIV).
Joshua was the one who believed when almost no one else did.
Joshua was the one who actually brought the people into the Promised Land.
And he still needed to be told, again and again.
If Joshua needed to hear it that many times, it's okay that you do too.
Why Did God Keep Repeating Himself?
The Bible doesn't tell us exactly why God said it so many times. But God hadn't forgotten what He said.
I think Joshua needed to hear it again.
And I think we do too.
We Need to Hear It Again Too
I can pray about my business in the morning.
I can tell God:
I trust You.
I know You're my provider.
I know You're with me.
I'm not going to be afraid.
And I can mean every word of it.
Then I start working.
An invoice doesn't get paid.
A client cancels.
The phone isn't ringing as much as I expected.
I look at the bank account.
I start thinking about next month.
And suddenly I'm thinking:
God, what am I going to do?
Didn't I just pray about this?
Yes.
But the fear came back.
So I pray again.
That doesn't mean my first prayer didn't work.
It doesn't mean I don't have faith.
It means I'm human.
God didn't tell Joshua once and then never mention his courage again. He reminded him. Then He reminded him again.
What Does "Pray Without Ceasing" Mean for a Business Owner?
First Thessalonians 5:17 is one of the shortest instructions in the Bible:
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV)
But I actually like the NLT version, which says, "Never stop praying."
Paul wrote this near the end of his letter to the church in Thessalonica, right in the middle of three short instructions: "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT).
Paul isn't saying you have to stay on your knees all day. He's describing a life where you keep turning back to God, all day, in every circumstance.
I used to think about praying without ceasing mainly as something God wanted from me.
But think about it another way.
What if I need it?
God doesn't need me to remind Him every hour that my business needs customers.
He knows.
God doesn't need me to remind Him that I have bills.
He knows.
God doesn't need me to explain the problem again because He forgot what I told Him this morning.
He knows.
But I need to come back to Him.
I need to remember that He's with me.
I need to remember what His Word says.
I need my thoughts redirected when fear starts taking over again.
Maybe praying without ceasing isn't about reminding God.
Maybe it's about continually bringing ourselves back to God.
And here's the part I love. I think when you're busy praying and busy having faith, fear doesn't get much room. Your mind can only hold so much. If it's full of what God said, there's less space for what fear is saying.
Your Brain Needs Repetition Too
Scientists use the word neuroplasticity to describe how the brain can change through experience and repetition. The thoughts and habits we practice over and over can become stronger patterns in the brain.
Science has given us language for something Scripture showed us a long time ago.
Think about what happens when you're afraid about your business.
You don't usually think the fearful thought once.
You repeat it.
What if I don't make enough this month?
Then again.
What am I going to do if business stays this slow?
Then again.
What if I lose another client?
Then again.
What if this doesn't work?
Fear knows how to repeat itself.
So why would we think truth only needs to be spoken once?
If fear keeps talking, I need to keep returning to what God said.
God is with me.
God will give me wisdom.
I don't have to figure out the next five years today.
I need to be faithful with what He's given me to do today.
The Fear I Had to Overcome: "Why Would Anyone Choose Me If I'm Not a CPA?"
Not every fear in business is about money.
For a long time, my fear was about me.
I'm not a CPA. And I had a really hard time with that. I kept asking myself, Why would people choose me when I'm not a CPA?
I had my certifications in bookkeeping and tax preparation. But that question kept coming back.
That fear didn't leave in a day. It took me years to become an Enrolled Agent.
An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a tax professional licensed by the IRS. It's a federal license, which means Enrolled Agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS no matter what state the taxpayer lives in.
And now? That fear doesn't bother me at all.
Because the kind of work I actually want to do, being an EA gives me more power. It allows me to work with clients in any state.
The thing I was afraid of turned out not to be the thing I thought it was.
But I didn't wait for the fear to go away before I moved. I kept building.
Prayer Doesn't Mean You Stop Working
This part matters, especially in business.
Praying without ceasing doesn't mean sitting at your desk praying while ignoring the problems in front of you.
Joshua still had instructions. There was a river to cross. There were decisions to make. There was work ahead.
God told him to be courageous because Joshua was going to have to move.
The same applies to us.
Pray.
Then open the numbers.
Pray.
Then make the call.
Pray.
Then follow up on the invoice.
Pray.
Then write the proposal.
Pray.
Then fix the process that isn't working.
Pray.
Then do the work that's sitting in front of you.
Faith isn't an excuse for doing nothing.
Prayer brings me back to God so fear doesn't get to make my decisions for me.
What I Do When the Fear Comes Back
The fear will come back. So here's what I do.
I repeat the verse.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)
God has already told me. I don't need a new word from Him every time the bank balance scares me. I need to go back to what He already said.
Then I command the fear to leave.
Fear doesn't get to stay and run my business. It doesn't get to sit in my meetings, write my emails, or make my decisions. God already told me not to be afraid, so I tell the fear to go.
What if it comes back this afternoon?
I do it again.
What if I have to do it ten times today?
I do it again.
God isn't sitting there saying, You already prayed about this.
Look at Joshua.
Be strong and courageous.
Be strong and very courageous.
Have I not commanded you?
Again. Again. Again.
Maybe we need to stop judging ourselves because we need another reminder, and start seeing how much God built repetition into our relationship with Him.
What This Does Not Mean
Feeling afraid doesn't mean you have weak faith. Joshua was the man who believed God when ten other men didn't, and God still told him again and again to be strong and courageous.
Praying again doesn't mean God didn't hear you the first time. You're not repeating it for God's benefit. You're repeating it for yours.
Repeating a prayer or a verse is not a magic formula. Joshua 1:9 was spoken to Joshua at a specific moment in Israel's history. What we can carry from it is this: the reason for courage is God's presence. It's not a promise that every client will pay, every month will be profitable, or every business decision will work out.
Faith doesn't mean ignoring real problems. Sometimes fear is pointing at something real, like a cash flow problem or a client who hasn't paid. Pray about it, then deal with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it wrong for a Christian business owner to feel afraid?
Feeling fear is part of being human. The Bible tells us many times not to be afraid, but feeling fear is not the same as letting fear run your business. Joshua was told to be strong and courageous at least six times, and God answered him with His command and His promise to be with him.
What Bible verse helps with fear in business?
Joshua 1:9 is one of the strongest: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (NIV). It was spoken to Joshua as he took over leadership from Moses. The principle we can draw from it is that courage comes from God's presence, not from knowing how everything will turn out.
What does "pray without ceasing" mean?
"Pray without ceasing" comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV). The NLT says, "Never stop praying." It doesn't mean praying every second of the day. It means living in a way where you keep turning back to God throughout the day, including every time fear shows up.
Why did God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous so many times?
The Bible doesn't give an exact reason. In my opinion, Joshua needed to hear it again, just like we do. He had heard it from Moses, from God, and later even from the people, and he was about to lead an entire nation into a new land.
What should I do when fear about money keeps coming back?
Go back to God every time it comes back, repeat what He has already said, and tell the fear to leave. Then do the next practical thing in front of you, like looking at the numbers, following up on an unpaid invoice, or making a call. Fear repeats itself, so your response has to repeat too.
Does praying about my business mean I should wait instead of act?
No. God told Joshua to be courageous because Joshua had a river to cross and work to do. Prayer brings you back to God so that fear doesn't make your decisions. Then you still have to open the numbers, make the call, and do the work.
So, How Do I Overcome Fear in My Business?
Pray without ceasing.
Not because repeating a prayer is a magic formula that guarantees everything in your business will go the way you want.
And not because God didn't hear you the first time.
Pray because fear has a way of coming back.
And when it does, go back to God.
When the numbers scare you, go back.
When business slows down, go back.
When you don't know where the next customer is coming from, go back.
When you're afraid you're not qualified enough, go back.
When you were full of faith yesterday and woke up worried again today, go back.
Fear repeats itself. So keep returning to the truth.
God told Joshua once. Then twice. Then a third time:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)
God doesn't need the reminder.
We do.
So pray again.
Until next time, go build the business God put in your heart. Build with faith, lead with purpose, and most importantly, expect good things.